When I am on the road with the Local History Services department, the folks who run local history organizations often ask, “What boxes, folders and supplies should we buy?” The question originates in the uncertainty surrounding not just how to house existing objects in the collection but also how to house new objects after they […]
Lake life is a term that has taken off recently in Instagram tags, clothing lines and even lifestyle TV shows. But lake life as we know it in Indiana has been around for well over a century. There is something special that draws us back to the water each summer, whether it’s boating, fishing, quality […]
I cataloged this book at the end of 2017, and I find it interesting for multiple reasons. Firstly, I enjoy the subject matter. Anything pertaining to the founding fathers and birth of our country brings out the history nerd in me. With more than 400 pages, several hundred engravings, the Constitution of the United States, […]
I like architecture – a lot. But do you know what really makes me happy in the archives? Finding building plans that never came to be. So when I stumbled across photographs of the original White River State Park model while processing the McGuire Photographs collection, I was mesmerized by how many design concepts were incorporated […]
As a collections assistant, it is my job to go through collections that have been donated to the Indiana Historical Society and put them in order. I often come across fun objects like someone’s old doodles left in the margins of a letter or silly photographs taken of people when they weren’t expecting it. As […]
One part of my job as collections assistant in reference services is to find previously processed collections that, for whatever reason, aren’t as accessible to researchers as they could be. Often these collections were processed many years ago before our current collection guide format was established, and before collection guides were provided online. Recently while […]
I hope you enjoy the look of our new website! During the transition from old to new, I was unable to keep up with my monthly blog posts. Have no fear, though, because this cataloger is back and ready to share more printed materials and fascinating stories with you in 2018! Before I talk about […]
When recently researching Bethel A.M.E. Church, I came across a 32-page pamphlet that had long been in the Indiana Historical Society collection but had never been digitized. The Indianapolis Colored Directory and Year Book 1923 provides a great window into the African-American Community in Indianapolis. Labeled the “First Annual Edition,” it may well be one […]
This month, I am switching gears a little bit. I catalog maps on a somewhat regular basis, but not nearly as often as I catalog books and pamphlets. I have yet to blog about a map, and since I just cataloged an especially interesting one, I figure now is the perfect time! This is the […]
This month’s blog post is short, but sweet! I love a good, challenging puzzle. Therefore, I was instantly captivated by Mental Nuts: Can You Crack ‘Em?, a tiny pamphlet published in 1897, compliments of Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, South Bend, Indiana. The title page describes it as “a book of old time catch or trick […]
